Untilted
by Valhalla Redfern
Summary: Help! I'm stuck with the plot and need some help with finishing the story. See Author's note for details.
1. Part 1

Part 1  
  
It was the third dead body to be found in Briar Creek in a week. Nothing had happened since the disappearance of Jeremy Lovett. Now this. Tension in the small town was almost unbearable. Hardly anyone was around on the streets of Briar Creek the best of times, but now it was almost like a ghost town. Jade wanted to see a tumbleweed blowing past.  
  
"This is really eerie," Jade said now, peering out of the window of the Burdock Farm House, quivering delicately, almost excitedly.   
  
"It's not like you've never seen a dead body before," Kestrel snorted, blowing on her freshly-painted ruby red nails.  
  
Rowan chose not to comment. She hadn't mentioned her little secret yet. It would completely spoil the surprise. But the surprise looked like it was going to be spoiled anyway. None of her plans ever seemed to go smoothly. *Something* always seemed to get in the way.   
  
They'd survived in Briar Creek for a year now. She wanted to try college, as she'd missed human high school. But Jade still had her senior year to complete. There wasn't much else to do around here. She had been very lucky to get a small job at the tiny designer clothes store in town. Kestrel would go stir-crazy forced to stay here with nothing to do for a year.   
  
Well, Jade would have Mark for company if they left, but that wasn't much of a comfort. They'd started taking things more seriously recently. They'd behaved themselves - as far as Rowan knew. There had been mo more trouble from the Night World since Quinn had come and gone. She didn't want to think about the possibility of a Redfern/Carter crossbreed.   
  
On second thoughts, maybe her "surprise" wouldn't be much of a good idea after all.  
  
"Rowan, what are you up to?" Jade had turned from the window.  
  
Rowan kept her face as smooth and blank as a statue as she answered calmly, "Nothing." Which she knew was mistake. Kestrel and Jade were exchanging glances. "It's a surprise," Rowan said finally.  
* * *  
  
Midian had thought the small town of Briar Creek would be a good place to hide. It was tiny, in the middle of nowhere, no one should be able to find her there. How she'd found it herself was a little bit of a mystery to her, but it didn't matter. She was there. She had a small apartment which was nothing more than a bedroom, a minuscule kitchen and a tiny bathroom. It was enough for her. Midian was used to the bare minimum to survive.   
  
She hadn't seen a lot of other Night People in the town, which was another good thing. If anyone knew she was there...she shuddered, trailing off, pushing the back the memories she didn't want to think about.  
  
Everything seemed to be in order. Until...it started happening. Three so far. No one had pointed a finger at her yet. Didn't mean they wouldn't. She was *positive* she had nothing to do with this. Not her, not this time.  
  
Midian slowly became aware her hands were clenched into fists as her sharp nails bit into her palm and blood began dripping. She took several deep breaths. It would be okay. It would.  
  
Her junior had bee spoiled. Her senior one would go better. She needed to do something. She picked up her purse and keys and left the room.  
  
* * *  
He stood at the top of the hill, an unusual pit of nervousness in his stomach. She was down there. Or should be. Or he *hoped* she would be. That was the plan, anyway. She didn't know he was coming. He had wanted it to be a surprise.  
  
A year had passed. This was the day he had left. One year...was that all? It seemed more like one hundred years. He still couldn't believe what happened - what he had become. Hopefully something better than the last time he'd been here, hunting down his sisters to drag them back to the enclave...  
  
~Well that was last year~ he thought. ~This is this year. Get your ass in gear and get down there.~  
  
With a sigh, Ash began the walk to the Carter's house.  
  
* * *  
  
If the little bitch thought she could hide from him she was sadly mistaken. Blake always knew how to find her, no matter what she called herself or where she hid herself. If she had any *brains* she wouldn't have picked Galena as her surname. Galena was a lamia clan, not perhaps, as famous as the Redferns, but it still had Night World ties.  
  
  
  
  
"Midian" itself as a name sounded more than a little ominous. He'd learned it was also the name of a death metal album. He hadn't known she was into that. Or if she was and it was just a coincidence. Whatever. He knew where she was. And she would be punished for running away from him.   
  
He wished he could see her reaction to the bodies that were piling up. He felt no remorse, obviously. They were vermin, he thought dropping the current victim, a small fluffy blonde who worked at the General Store.  
  
He ducked out of sight as he was a girl coming in. She was reasonably pretty, with dark hair and clear blue eyes. About two minutes later, Midian came in. Still tall and beautiful with her mane of raven hair and golden eyes. A short skirt showed off her long slender legs and a tight white top showed off her upper body curves. Neither of them had spotted the body yet.  
  
He sat back to watch the story unfold.  
  
* * * 


	2. Part 2

Part 2  
  
Mary-Lynnette was bored. She'd been bright and cheerful this morning. She had been expecting...well...he'd left one year ago, and promised to come back. She had wanted to wake up this morning and find him there, waiting for her. He would grab her and kiss her...and they would...soulmate sparks would ignite...and they would just do IT on the kitchen table.  
  
^Yeah, fantasy one of ten^ she thought. ^You daydream all the time about what he looks like naked, but you can't even say his name.^  
  
Her fantasy hadn't happened. She'd come into town, maybe buy something to cheer herself up. Town was deserted. Mainly because of the rash of murders. Dead bodies seemed to be turning up everywhere.  
  
Jeremy's trailer down at Mad Dog creek was still there, though deserted now. No one went near it. Even Todd Akers and Vic Kimble didn't go down there anymore. Everyone said that Mad Dog Creek was cursed. She kept quiet about it. She never talked about him anymore.  
  
People said this new murder rampage was Jeremy's ghost come back. Which was just plain bullshit, of course. The murders were being down by a real life person. Who, remained a mystery.   
  
As Mary-Lynette walked into the Briar Creek General store she noticed Bunny Marten asleep at her post. She smiled a little as she browed aimlessly. She heard the bell over the door jangle and a new girl came in, looking unsure, and almost nervous.  
  
She was as tall as Rowan, and even prettier. Her raven hair hung to her shoulders, her build was very slender. Her eyes were a vivid garnet.  
  
  
"Hi, are you new in town?"  
  
The girl turned quickly. It was unusual to Mary-Lynnette that someone so pretty should be so nervous. Pretty girls always seemed the most confident. Then she noticed the black iris on the pendant at the girl's throat. She was a Night Person.  
  
"Um, yeah." The girl smiled shyly. " I'm Midian Galena."  
  
^What an odd name^ Mary-Lynnette thought. "Mary-Lynnette Carter. Are you looking for anything in particular?" Meeting someone new could help take her mind of current - issues.  
  
"No, I was just looking," Midian said. "I don't really know anywhere to hang out or anything."  
  
Mary-Lynnette chuckled dryly. "Well, Briar Creek isn't exactly the most happening small town in the area. We're small, but everyone's nice." ^Most people^, she thought, but didn't say anything.  
  
"Actually, that's pretty good. I like the quiet," Midian said, brightening a little. "Do you...um...go to school here?"  
  
"I just graduated actually," she admitted. "I'll e going to college in September. You'll be a senior."  
  
Midian nodded.  
  
"My brother will be a senior. And our friend Jade. I can take you meet them now, if you like."  
  
Midian brightened even more. "Okay." She glanced around, then at Bunny sleeping by the cash register. "Um...should she be asleep?" Mary-Lynnette frowned. Everyone knew Bunny was a daydreamer. She didn't usually drift off. Bunny had been showing Mary-Lynnette all the college offers she'd had that morning. She wasn't sure she wanted to be alone in a big city where she didn't know anyone.  
  
"Bunny?" she asked, pausing on the way out. Bunny didn't move. A few flies were starting to buzz around. Mary-Lynnette frowned and gently shook Bunny's shoulder.   
  
"Something...something's wrong," Midian whispered.  
  
Mary-Lynnette glanced over at her, and bit her lip on a smart remark. Fear sparked deep inside.  
  
"Bunny! Get up Bunny!"  
  
Bunny refused to move. Mary-Lynnette grabbed her hair and yanked Bunny's head back. And started to scream.   
  
* * *  
Midian stared at the face of the dead shop girl, the doll-like blue eyes staring blankly back at her. The throat had been slashed, but the deathly pallor of the white skin old her beyond doubt that it was a vampire kill.  
  
Before long the police cars had arrived. Midian didn't like the idea of being known to the human authorities, who were very suspicious of her. Well, she thought as she stood outside the General Store. They would be, wouldn't they? She was new in town, and dead people had started turning up when she'd arrived.  
  
She shivered. Even in the blazing heat. Mary-Lynnette was still talking to the town sheriff, a large man with a gruff Texas accent, and squinting black eyes.  
  
"So you didn't notice anything unusual when you went in?"  
  
Mary-Lynnette was starting to get annoyed. "How many times do I have to tell you? No. I came in to look around for something to do. I thought Bunny had just nodded off. I thought I'd wake her before I left and she didn't move."  
  
The sheriff glanced over at Midian. "And your friend there?"  
  
"Came in two minutes after I did."  
  
Midian frowned. She hadn't dome anything. She was positive of it. Was it a crime to change town? Not as far as she knew. Finally they were allowed to leave.   
  
Midian wasn't sure she was in the mood for meeting new people now. Once or twice, she was sure she'd seen Mary-Lynnette looking at the black iris on her necklace. She knew without question the girl was human. Maybe she was human.  
  
"I know," Mary-Lynnette said simply. "My friends Rowan, Jade and Kestrel are Redferns."  
  
"Humans aren't supposed to know," Midian aid, relaxing a little.  
  
"It - " Mary-Lynnette sighed. "It's along story." She clearly didn't feel like telling it right now, so Midian didn't press the issue.  
  
They got in Mary-Lynnette's new car and drove a few miles to a large farm house that looked ancient and falling apart. Midian remained silent as Mary-Lynnette led her to the front door, which was open.  
  
"Anyone home...?"  
  
"Where *have* you been?" A small girl with a mane of silvery hair came bounding into the hallway. "We've been looking everywhere. Rowan has the *best* surprise."  
  
Mary-Lynnette didn't look like she was too keen on any more surprises. But the smaller girl had come and was pulling someone else forward. "Come *on*," the girl was saying impatiently.  
  
Mary-Lynnette looked over at Midian, shrugging helplessly. Another figure was coming out with the girl. A tall boy, elegant and lanky at the same time with blond hair and eyes that changed colour. A mischievous smile was pulling at the corner of his lips.  
  
Midian had to control her mouth from dropping open.   
  
*Ash.*  
  
* * * 


	3. Part 3

Part 3  
  
Ash tried to keep his smile straight as Mary-Lynnette came into the lounge, followed by a girl he wasn't sure why she looked familiar. The girl was trying to not say something as she stared at him. She looked absolutely terrified. Rowan and Jade were peering in, trying to see what was going on.   
  
"Who's your friend?" he said finally.  
  
"I - I have to go," the black haired girl got out. She turned and ran out the front door, not looking back.  
  
"Who's that?" Jade asked.  
  
Mary-Lynnette glanced after the girl. "Her name is Midian Galena," she said. "She's just moved here." She looked at Ash curiously.  
  
"What'd you do to her?" Kestrel asked with a smirk.  
  
Ash glared. "I didn't do *anything*. And I *don't* know what her problem is."  
  
He looked at Mary-Lynnette earnestly to protest his innocence. She frowned at him. He held a hand out to her. ^Come on,^ he thought. ^I haven't done anything this time.^  
  
She took his hand. A shock of electricity ran up his arm, making him shudder. Not as painful as when they had first met, but...he couldn't find a word for it at the moment. He would at some point.  
  
"Oh no you don't."  
  
"But I want to *see*..."  
  
"No buts. Give them some privacy."  
  
"It looks like you'll get your Carter/Redfern crossbreed after all."  
  
Ash tried to ignore his sisters. He didn't exactly know what Kestrel's remark was meant to be about.  
  
"Mark and Jade are getting too serious for Rowan's liking," Mary-Lynnette explained.  
  
"Still together?" His youngest sister was doing better in a relationship than he ever had. He had been completely faithful this past year. No more flings. Sure, he'd been tempted, but he wanted to prove himself. He'd helped save that lost witch Gillian, and put a number of nasty vampires out of commission with Rashel and Quinn. No dragons yet, but he was working on it.  
  
"So," she said, when they were seated on the porch,  
  
He smiled lopsidedly. "So." He felt like a kid who had just discovered what girls were for. He picked at a week growing between the rotten wooden planks of the ancient farm house. "I really didn't do anything to that girl. I'm sure of it."  
  
Mary-Lynnette looked at him, head tilted to one side. "Then how come she freaked at the site of you?"  
  
Ash frowned. He'd noticed the more timid Night People doing that a lot. He'd always found it fun before, that people knew his name and feared it. Now it made him feel bad, and a little defensive. He threw the weed down. "I don't know," he said, starting to get annoyed.  
  
"So...um...what have you been doing with yourself this past year?"  
  
"Oh...this and that. Rescued a few maidens in distress, killed some bad guys." He shrugged and grinned. "This and that. Good guy stuff, you know."  
  
Mary-Lynnette had brightened a little. "So...um...any...."  
  
"No." He caught her hand and brought her chin up to meet his eyes. "No one else. Just you." He moved to kiss her - when they were interrupted by the high pitched ringing tune of a cell-phone.  
  
Mary-Lynnette smiled ruefully. "Damn cell-phones. I didn't even want one, but Dad insisted I had one for emergencies..." She pulled out a small blue phone with a cover pattern of moons and stars. "It's home," she said. "I have to go. See you later?"  
  
Ash nodded and watched her go. He sighed and stood up, turning back into the house. He hadn't even been able to kiss her once! Had *she* met someone else and just wasn't telling him? He had to do better than this,  
  
* * * 


	4. Part 4

Part 4  
  
Blake was extremely disappointed at the way things had turned out. He had   
expected hysterics, dramatic accusations of Midian - hadn't happened. The   
cops had questioned her more than the human girl, then Midian and the girl   
had left together, and that was that.  
  
People had gotten on with their normal lives. Any gathered crowd had slowly   
dispersed. He had heard nothing to keep him interested about what could have   
happened, or possible suspect, apart from ridiculous tales of ghosts.  
  
He scowled as he stalked around the town centre (if it could actually be   
called that). He hadn't made any sort of announcement of his presence yet.  
  
The young girl in the Real Estate office, who had helped him find a room to   
rent had asked him, on hearing his surname, is he was related to those other   
girls in town? The ones who came last summer?  
  
In all truth, Blake actually wasn't officially a pure-blood Redfern. He'd   
been made to be Lily Redfern's companion, but she'd bored him terribly with   
her constant bitchiness and left her. He smirked a little. Now the bitch was   
dead. Ha, ha, he thought, brightening a little at the memory of hearing the   
news.  
  
He could go find these other Redferns - the helpful real estate girl (who   
was clearly jealous) had happened to tell him they were living at Burdock   
farm. Blake smiled as he paused outside a tiny pizza restaurant, absently   
studying the menu.  
  
  
  
If the girl was jealous, he thought now, then why had she been helping him   
find them? Maybe she thought he was the murderer, and would kill them. He   
chuckled to himself. There would be no point - apart from his own pleasure.   
Midian would stay far away from other Night People, especially Redferns.   
What could be do to amuse himself in the meantime before he made a choice of   
his next victim...  
  
"Hi, haven't seen you around here before."  
  
Blake glanced over his shoulder and blinked. A girl stood there. A pretty   
girl. Her eyes were the colour of topaz, her hair a mane of gold falling   
down her back. A sly, predatory smile curved her red lips.  
  
"No, I'm new. I'm Blake."  
  
"Kestrel."  
  
A lamia name. One of the infamous Redfern girls? It looked like he'd found   
something to keep his interest going.  
  
* * *  
  
Not feeling like watching Ash and Mary-Lynnette swoon all over each other   
Kestrel had decided to leave the house for a while. Town was quiet after the   
murders. She had heard rumours of another one that day, that dopey girl   
called Bunny who worked in the General Store. She'd have been an instant   
target when she left for college. Her innocence practically screamed BITE ME   
and not in a sarcastic way.  
  
It was always extremely tempting, but Bunny was one of Mary-Lynnette's   
friends, and Rowan would give her one of those *lectures*, and it just   
wasn't worth it.  
  
Now a new face had arrived. And not a bad one, either. Chiselled features,   
sapphire eyes, curly shoulder length hair, an odd charcoal colour. "Why   
here?" she asked.  
  
"What'd you mean?" the guy - Blake - asked, folding his arms across a   
muscular chest.  
  
"This place is pretty dull." For someone like her who had never seen the   
rest of the human world a small place like Briar Creek was *okay*,   
but...lately she had been feeling extremely isolated.  
  
Jade still had her senior year to complete. Rowan wanted to try college with   
Mary-Lynnette, but didn't want to leave Jade and Mark alone together. There   
was no way in hell she could stand an entire year here doing *nothing*.  
  
"It's...I'm not sure how long I'm planning on staying. I'm...travelling round."  
  
He was lying. Kestrel knew instantly. But he was...intriguing, with an   
extremely appealing sense of danger about him. "What are you doing for   
dinner tonight?" she asked impulsively. Plenty of guys at school had hit on   
her, most of them never even got anywhere near first base.  
  
"Nothing. Why?"  
  
"Tried here yet?" She nodded at the pizza restaurant.  
  
Blake shook his head.  
  
"How does meet me here at eight sound?"  
  
"Fine. See you then." And he was gone, just like that. Vampire, she thought   
with a smile. She was still smiling as she walked the long road back to ther Burdock Farm house.   
* * * 


	5. Part 5

Part 5  
  
It just wasn't fair. Nothing ever went right for her. Midian paced endlessly around the tiny apartment. She had wanted to be normal, have friends of her own who didn't mysteriously disappear because Blake didn't approve of them. She didn't want to be manipulated into killing people anymore, giving Blake the opportunity to punish her for being bad.  
  
Tears filled her eyes. She'd had no idea *he* would be there. Blake was bad news on his own. In the enclave, Ash had been even worse. Together they were...well...it was a nightmare just to think about it.   
  
She shivered, even though it was almost painfully hot. What was she going to do? Would Ash run and tell Blake she was here? Well, maybe Ash wouldn't immediately run off to blab, he wasn't that type....he could just casually mention that he'd seen Blake's girl in this dinky little mid-Western town.  
  
And the way Mary-Lynnette had looked had been a surprising cross between surprised and star struck. And Ash's expression had been even weirder, his had been hopeful, and almost nervous.  
  
From what she knew of him, it was unlikely he'd even be interested in a nice human girl like Mary-Lynnette. She'd only just met Mary-Lynnette; she could turn out to be completely different. Maybe she was one of those vampire-obsessed humans. Redferns and humans as friends in other circumstances...it was just *weird*.  
  
She stopped pacing and tried to calm herself. She had run away from Blake. He wasn't going to terrorise her anymore. She had told herself that over and over the first few weeks. The hardest time in her life - running from city to city, trying to make sure she was safe and not recognised. She'd stolen $10,0000 in cash when she'd left the enclave, her mind control power coming in handy.  
  
Then she had found this place. The name caught her attention. Briar Creek. Briar reminded her of the fairytale Sleeping Beauty. She had been Briar Rose, who had believed she was ordinary when she was really a Princess, something had, of course, screwed up, and was rescued by a handsome prince.   
  
Midian had always liked that idea. She had thought when she'd come to Briar Creek the prince would find her there. (Translated into Night World term she would find her soulmate and live happily ever after).  
  
Instead she had found dead people and Ash Redfern, her ex-boyfriend's best friend. Still, who said she had to let it affect her? She would prove to the, she wasn't weak. Prove it *herself*. Maybe finding this killer would be a good start.  
* * *  
  
"So the girl just took off?" Mark asked.  
  
Mary-Lynnette nodded. She'd come home for lunch, even though generally she could do what she liked, Claudine, her step-mom, was now trying to get a little more "family time" in before she left for college in September.   
  
Mary-Lynnette had been hoping that Ash and Rowan would be coming with her. What Kestrel was going to be doing with herself, no one really knew. Jade and Mark still had their senior year to complete.  
  
She still couldn't get over Midian's reaction to Ash. "Ash, of course, claims he doesn't know her or why she freaked."  
  
"And you don't believe him?"  
  
Mary-Lynnette didn't know what to believe. She knew Ash had a bad reputation in the Night World, and it would probably take more than a single year for him to clear that, but now he was back...  
  
She still couldn't finish the sentence. "I don't know what to think. I don't even have Midian's number to make sure she's okay."  
  
"What a weird name," Mark muttered. He picked up his blue denim jacket and slung it over his shoulder.  
  
Mary-Lynnette glanced over at him. "Where are you going?"  
  
"Jade and I are going to the movies." There was a goofy grin on his face.  
  
Mary-Lynnette tried to smile. She really wasn't comfortable with him going into town after the murder. "Mark," she called. "Just be careful. It's not safe out there."  
  
"Oh please. What murderer could possibly want to kill me?"  
  
"The same on that got Bunny this morning," Mary-Lynnette snapped.  
  
Mark stopped. "*Bunny*?"  
  
Mary-Lynnette nodded. "Don't go. Stay here or go to her house and watch a video. Town isn't safe."  
  
Mark was silent for a few minutes. "I'll see what she says."  
  
She sighed, doubting Mark would stay at home, even if Jade was with him. That evening found her sitting in her room, flipping through one of her star-chart books. Her dad wasn't too keen on letting her go out after dark alone anymore. Sometimes it was okay if Rowan went with her.  
  
Rowan was supposed to be coming over - and was knocking on the door right now. "Are you okay? We haven't seen you all afternoon." Rowan came in and closed the door.  
  
"I've just been here." Mary-Lynnette looked at her friend. "Why didn't you tell me he was coming?"  
  
  
Rowan sat down at the desk, tugging a strand of hair. She smiled sheepishly. "I wanted it to be a surprise."  
  
It certainly had been a surprise, but not a pleasant one. If Midian hadn't been there things might have gone differently.   
  
"I guess neither of us anticipated that new girl," Rowan said. "What did you say her name was?"  
  
"Midian Galena," she answered.  
  
Rowan was frowning. "And she wears a black iris, which means she's a vampire."  
  
Mary-Lynnette waited for Rowan to tell her something else. Even if it was unpleasant, she needed to know. "And...?"  
  
"And?"   
  
It couldn't be a coincidence that at the same time a strange new girl arrives in town people start being murdered. Coinciding with Ash's return. Was there something Mary-Lynnette was missing?  
  
"Kestrel has a date tonight with another new-comer, Blake Redfern."  
  
"Yet another new comer to a small town where nothing ever happens?" Mary-Lynnette frowned. "A relation of yours?"  
  
"No," Rowan said. "He's a made vampire. Ash wasn't too happy to hear his name."  
  
Mary-Lynnette didn't know what to say to that. One of Ash's bad-vampire buddies from before probably. And Midian had been so afraid of Ash...  
  
"You think the newcomers have something to do with the murders?" Rowan asked.  
  
"I think we need to have a talk with Midian." Mary-Lynnette frowned. "If we can *find* her again, that is."  
  
* * * 


	6. Part 6

Part 6  
  
Ash was tearing himself apart trying to work out what he'd done to Midian Galena. If he could find the girl and talk to her, maybe he could convince her he wasn't the bad guy anymore.   
  
It was going to take a lot of work. He didn't even know where to start looking. "Have you seen that girl around? The one who ran off this morning?" he asked Kestrel, who was fluffing her hair in front of her dresser mirror.  
  
"What?" Kestrel wasn't listening to him, looking for something on the dresser. Jade and Mark were smooching on the couch downstairs, and Rowan had gone out, though she wouldn't say where.  
  
"That girl who freaked and ran off this morning?? Have you seen here around here before?"  
  
"No." Kestrel picked up a tube of lipstick and smeared a vivid red shade over her lips. "Why so concerned?"  
  
Ash shrugged uncomfortably. "She freaked because she saw me and I want to know why."  
  
"Terrorised so many poor weak vampires you can't remember a single one?" Kestrel turned from the mirror. "How do I look?" She was wearing a sleeveless black top, tight fitting jeans, a Gucci belt and brown leather ankle boots. Her nails were painted the same crimson as her lips, her hair was a shining halo of gold around her.  
  
"Fine," Ash said automatically. "Why?"  
  
"I have a date." She picked up her purse.  
  
^If Midian Galena hadn't arrived and got in the way, then so would I,^ Ash thought moodily. "Who with?"  
  
Kestrel's eyes narrowed. "If you start doing the protective older brother thing then I'll hit you."  
  
"Just curious." Ash leaned against the doorway with a lazy smile.   
  
"His name's Blake. We met this afternoon. And I'm borrowing your car." Kestrel flashed a set of keys at him and was gone before Ash could protest.  
  
Blake...he'd known a Blake back in the enclave. Together the two of them had been...well...bad wasn't even the closet word to describe them. He recalled Blake had a meek girlfriend Marissa, whom they both loved to torture. Blake physically, himself with cruel words that reduced her to speechless fear or hysterical...  
  
Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit. Ash's eyes closed. Now he knew why Midian Galena had seemed familiar. The name had changed, the hair had grown, but those haunted garnet eyes were still the same.   
  
She had to talk to her before anyone else dead. Make her see he was different. Before Mary-Lynnette heard.  
  
  
  
He left Jade and Mark still going gooey-eyed at each other and walked into town. He could see Kestrel outside the pizza restaurant with a familiar looking figure. So it was the same Blake.  
  
Did Midian know he was here? Had he followed her? Obviously she didn't know, or she wouldn't be standing over by the General Store. He walked over to her quickly and took her arm.  
  
"You need to come with me, now," he muttered into her ear.  
  
Midian turned to look at him in surprise, then became defiant. "I'm not going anywhere with a sadistic monster like you."  
  
Ash gritted his teeth. He didn't need Blake to see her panicking. "Listen to me, you little idiot, I'm trying to *save* you."  
  
"From what."  
  
"Don't ask now. Just *come*. You need to be somewhere safe. Where'd you live?"  
  
Midian opened her mouth indignantly, then finally seemed to realise he was serious. "This way." She led him to the apartment building she lived in and inside. She eyed him awkwardly, nervously. Ash felt bad, sensing, and not blaming her, that she was still afraid of him.  
  
"Um...why were you saving me, and from *what*?"  
  
"An old acquaintance of mine who's apparently dating one of my sisters. I was looking for you, and well..." He trailed off, leaning against the kitchen counter.   
  
"You were looking for me?" Midian never took her eyes from his.  
  
"I sort of...I wanted to apologise."  
  
"Apologise."  
  
Even Ash could cringe at that. "I realise how that sounds, but I'm not the person I was back then. I've changed, and I need for you to understand that."  
  
"Because you're in love with Mary-Lynnette who might be a potential friend and you don't want her to know about your nasty side."  
  
Ash's eyebrow raised. "You're good."  
  
Midian was silent and turned away from him. He didn't want to tell her Blake was around unless he absolutely had to. It was a lot to expect, for him to say he was sorry and that would make everything okay.  
  
Midian had moved to sit on the bed. Cautiously, Ash sat down next to her, touching her hand lightly. "Um...do you think you *try* and forgive me? A little?"  
  
Midian turned to look at him, studying him carefully. For a moment Ash panicked, wondering if she was going to try and kiss him. He moved away from her quickly.   
  
"I'll think about it," she said.   
Ash smiled. Well it was a start. Midian stood up. There was a knock on the door. Midian frowned. "I don't know anyone in this town yet."  
  
Ash's smile faded and he pushed her out of the way, opening the door slowly, only to find himself face to face with Mary-Lynnette and Rowan.  
  
* * * 


	7. Part 7

Part 7  
  
^So much for honesty^ Mary-Lynnette thought, eyeing Ash and Midian.   
  
"What are you doing here, Ash?" Rowan asked with a frown, saving Mary-Lynnette from opening her mouth.  
  
"Ash was actually saving me from an ex-boyfriend of mine," Midian said.  
  
Mary-Lynette couldn't help noticing Midian kept glancing at Ash. The odd thing, however, was the glance wasn't one of dreamy admiration for the knight in shining armour thing she often imagined the girls Ash saved having. It was much more reluctant. Like she was glad he had saved herm but would rather have had someone else do it.  
  
"An ex-boyfriend?" Rowan asked as she and Mary-Lynnette came into the room.  
  
Midian nodded. "I think he's responsible for the killing," she said. Her voice was shaking slightly.   
  
"I wouldn't put it past him," Ash put it in. "And Kestrel's dating him."  
  
Rowan sat down on the bed and sighed. "Oh dear. That can't be good."  
  
^Not to state the obvious^ Mary-Lynnette thought, but she liked Rowan too much to make the comment out loud. She went to stand by Ash, whose shifting eyes hadn't moved from her since she had arrived.   
  
*Trust me* his expression pleaded. "Let her explain," Ash said, wrapping his arms around Mary-Lynnette from behind. "Or do you want me to?" His eyes became a guilty dark orange.  
  
Midian sighed. "I lived tin the same enclave as they did. My name back then was Marissa. My so-called boyfriend Blake and Ash were best friends. They weren't exactly the nicest people in the world." Her voice was harsh and there was a trace of something else. Mary-Lynette wondered if it was self-hatred.  
  
"Anyway," Midian went on. "Blake liked to torture me. One of his favourite things was killing people and making me think I'd done it. That's what I thought was happening here. I escaped from the enclave, and well - " she gestured vaguely. "Here I am."  
  
"And now Blake seems to have found you again," Rowan said, pursing her lips. "I think I remember him."  
  
"I take it this is one of those dangerously hot guys who know you should stay away from but can't help being drawn to?" Mary-Lynnette asked, sneaking a look at Ash. At least in her case they'd had a decent excuse of soulmates to keep them together.  
"They can't be, I'm sure," Ash said dismissively, almost as if reading her mind. "Blake isn't the type to settle for one." Then he remembered Midian and opened his mouth to amend himself.   
  
Midian waved him silent. "I know, don't bother," she said. "So we have a suspect, but no proof."  
  
"And with him Kestrel is a sitting duck," Rowan said, standing up. "They're at the pizza place, right?"  
  
"The other issue we might have to be careful about is Blake convincing Kestrel to join him," Ash said.  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence. Kestrel stuck by her sisters like there was nothing else that mattered to her. She had told Mary-Lynnette once she wanted someone in her life. Her ideal man would be a renegade lamia who didn't follow the rules, took what he wanted when he wanted, was a little rough around the edges and knew how to please a girl.  
  
This guy Blake seemed to have all the required qualities, plus that of a low-grade sociopath. Socio or psycho, she thought, not really sure what the difference was, but one of them applied here.  
  
"Rowan and I will go get Kestrel and take her back to the house," Mary-Lynnette said finally.  
  
"Mark and Jade shouldn't be alone," Rowan said firmly. "Ash, maybe you and Midian can go back to the farm house than stay here by yourselves."  
  
Mary-Lynnette still wasn't comfortable with the idea of leaving him with Midian. Neither was Midian for that matter. "Then we can decide what to do with Blake."  
  
Mary-Lynnette sighed, as she followed Rowan out the door. Something told her Midian was going to do what she wanted to anyway And it was likely to be disastrous.  
  
* * * 


	8. Part 8

Part 8  
  
Kestrel sighed, glancing at her sharp nails, wondering what it would feel like to use them to slit the throat of the new trainee waitress they'd been cursed with.  
  
She had gotten the orders wrong knocked a bowl of salad over Blake and orange soda all over her. "I doubt they'd mind if we polished her off afterwards," Blake said, shaking his head in disgust.  
  
"This isn't exactly what I ha in mind for a fun filled evening," she admitted.   
  
"Well, I might still be able to make it up to you later," he said with a wicked grin.  
  
Kestrel studied him head tilted to one side, smiling lopsidedly. "You don't do subtle, do you?2  
  
He seemed like an okay guy - though with an almost freakishly short fuse somewhere. At one point she was certain he would have killed the girl, and everyone else in the restaurant. Then he'd stopped himself. She was positive she'd seen him before somewhere. He reminded her of a slightly more psychotic version of Ash.  
  
"I don't do subtle, it's no fun," he said dismissively.   
  
Kestrel chuckled. "So what do you do for fun, then?"  
  
That wickedly delicious smile again. "Let's get out of here and I'll show you."  
  
"Sounds like a plan." She looked around. "I at least hope we can get the bill without any major disasters. What's the betting she'd manage to break the money?"  
  
"Forget the bill. Come on." He stood up and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet.  
  
"You're insane!" she snorted. But was dying to know what eh had in mind. The girl at the till opened her mouth then her jaw sagged. Kestrel felt the strong push of mental power. She'd never known a Night Person wish such power before, power even she could feel brushing the back of her own mind.  
  
"Thanks, sorry about the waitress - she's new," the girl said, opening and closing the till, and handing him a receipt.  
  
"That's okay, send her round to the back entrance so we can straighten things out."  
  
The till girl nodded, her expression still blank and headed off. Kestrel looked at Blake. "Impressive," she admitted. "What was that all about."  
  
"Making up for the sucky meal," he said, leading her out the restaurant and to the back alley where their waitress was waiting.  
  
"Oh."  
  
* * *  
"I hope we're not to late," Rowan said worriedly as Mary-Lynnette drove her car to the pizza restaurant.   
  
"I hope they're actually *in* there," she said, parking the car.  
  
"That's more or less what I said," Rowan pointed out as Mary-Lynnette parked and they went inside.   
  
Mary-Lynnette wasn't in the mood for it. She was now wishing she'd insisted Ash come with her to get Kestrel and Rowan could have gone with Midian.   
  
"They went to have a word with Alisa, our new waitress who had a little disaster serving them. They're out back," the girl running the cash register told them.  
  
"Thanks." Rowan grabbed Mary-Lynnette's arm. "Come on."  
  
"Taking a girl out back and these people do *nothing*? With murders and dead bodies popping up everywhere."   
  
"Are you okay?" Rowan glanced at her curiously.   
  
"Fine," Mary-Lynnette said, clearly lying, but not wanting to waste time. "Let's just go get Kestrel before she does something stupid."  
  
Rowan looked at her for a few more seconds, then nodded. Mary-Lynnette turned a corner to see a good-looking guy with long hair, and an arm around a girl's shoulder. The other girl was small with curly black hair, looking up at him with glazed eyes. Kestrel was watching eagerly, her own gold eyes glowing hungrily.  
  
Rowan grabbed her sister's arm in an unusually rough gesture. "We have a family emergency. We need to go, *now*."  
  
Kestrel scowled, turning briefly. "Deal without yourself."   
  
Rowan slapped her. Even Mary-Lynnette's mouth dropped in shock. Rowan was the kindest, gentlest person in the world. Mary-Lynette would especially never have imagined her hitting one of her own sisters.   
  
The boy had turned around, his lip curled. "Rowan. Always a pleasure."  
  
"Go away." Rowan was almost growling. "Leave the girl alone, and if you know what's good for you, you'll leave town too."  
  
The boy - who must be the infamous Blake Redfern - laughed. "From you? You can't even squash a fly. Come on Kestrel, let's go somewhere else."  
  
Kestrel shook her head, moving away from him to stand by Rowan. "No. Family comes first to me, if there's an emergency, I'm going back with my sister."  
  
Blake laughed again. "You Redferns never cease to amaze me." He shrugged good naturedly. "Your loss." And he was gone.  
  
  
  
  
"Um - what - I think he - "  
  
The dark haired girl was speaking, looking around, trying to figure out where she was and why she was there.  
  
"Go back inside and do whatever it is you do, you'll be okay now," Rowan said, her tone still with an angry edge.  
  
"What's the matter with you?" Mary-Lynnette said, starting the car once they were back in.   
  
"Someone nearly broke our *vows*. Nearly killed without remorse," Rowan said, scowling at Kestrel. "How many *times*? Not since we *got* here and - and - " Rowan threw up her hands, almost in tears.  
  
"Did he do something to you," Mary-Lynnette asked.   
  
"Who the hell *is* this guy?" Kestrel asked.   
  
"He - it's a long story," Mary-Lynnette sighed as she pulled up in front of the Burdock Farm house. "Go in and I'll explain."  
  
Kestrel shook her head, got out the car and stalked back into the house.   
  
"Are you going to be okay?" Mary-Lynnette asked, moving to the backseat where Rowan was still sitting. Rowan was sniffling, head in hands. Her arm snaked around her friend's shoulders comfortingly.   
  
"I hate that guy," Rowan whispered, her head moving to Mary-Lynnette's shoulder.  
  
"What'd he do? Maybe if we talk about it now we can figure out what we're going to tell the others."  
  
"He didn't actually *hurt* me in the physical sense of the word. Not like he did to Midian. He was - mean. He made me feel bad and scared me."  
  
Rowan was getting a little too cuddly for Mary-Lynnette's liking. ~It could be the perfect way to get back at Ash~ her inner voice was saying. ^Ash has not done anything to deserve payback^ she told the inner voice.  
  
"You never told anyone."  
  
Rowan shook her head. "He made me watch him torture Midian once. He said if I told anyone he'd do that to me."  
  
Mary-Lynnette felt her blood start to boil. She didn't think it was possible for her to hate someone as much as she hated Blake Redfern.  
  
"We'll make him pay," she promised, steel in her voice. "Everything will be okay." ^I'll make it okay^ she thought.  
  
* * * 


	9. Part 9

Part 9  
  
Blake sighed, shaking his head in disgust and anger at the interruption. He should have guessed it would be one of *them*. Ash's sisters. He'd heard about them running out on the enclave, according to Quinn there had been an incident involving a psychotic rogue werewolf, and the girls were supposed to be learning to hunt. The idea of Rowan and Jade hunting in a world full of vermin was incredibly funny.   
  
He recalled another sister, one slightly more aggressive than the other two. The one who was usually in some sort of trouble with the enclave authorities.   
  
Kestrel. Bird of prey. He smiled, thinking of her.  
  
Then scowled. That bitch Rowan needed to be taught a lesson for getting in the way. This town was too small for him to stay, but he wasn't going to leave without taking Kestrel with him.   
  
^And Midian^ he reminded himself. ^You came for her, as well, remember?^ As soon as Midian was secured as his slave one again, it wouldn't hurt to take a mistress back with him.  
  
He stood outside the Burdock farmhouse, hiding in the garden. He couldn't get a clear view of what was going on inside the house, nor did he hear anything.  
  
He knew they were all in there, trying to decide what to do about him. They would have established by now. She'd tell them her little sob-story and they'd accept her. He needed to do something about that. Another body somewhere, somehow Midian *had* to responsible.  
  
The little bitch had managed to some how find a way to block the mind control he usually able to manipulate her. He scowled again, this time at the farm house, as if it were responsible for what had happened. IN a way, he supposed it was. Stupid Redfern bitches escaped from the enclave cause their crazy aunt who lived here had done it, leaving Midian to think *she* could. And now here he was, standing in a garden in some hick Midwestern town, trying to come up with a plan to take what belonged to him home.  
  
He found himself laughing, though he couldn't quite say why.  
  
* * *   
  
Jade looked up, slightly alarmed, certain she had heard someone laughing outside. She had lost track of the argument going on in the lounge and had gone to get herself a drink.  
  
She paused by the window, trying to peer into the garden to see if she could see if anyone was out there. As far as she could tell there was no one.  
  
With an uncomfortable shrug, she went back into the living room, sitting next to Mark on the loveseat. All Jade's plans for that night had been spoiled. She wasn't in the best of moods, and was deliberately not taking part in the discussion.  
  
She had wanted to go to a movie, then for pizza. "How come?" Jade had asked, irritated. "I bought a new outfit, specially." She placed her hands deliberately on the hips of her new silver pants.  
  
"Which looks great," Mark said hurriedly. "But - um - I think we should stay in tonight."  
  
"Why?" Jade wasn't letting go until she had some sort of answer.   
  
"I guess you didn't hear Bunny Marten was murdered this lunch time."  
  
Jade blinked. "Oh no. The nice girl who works in the general store?"  
  
Mark nodded. Jade had reluctantly agreed. They were half way through *Hope* *Floats* when Ash had come in with a dark haired girl who wasn't Mary-Lynnette, announcing there was a situation - and not a good one.  
  
"Did he not strike you as familiar?" Ash was saying now.  
  
Kestrel sat on the couch, long legs curled underneath her, a scowl covering her face. Kestrel's date had apparently been ruined too. "Not really. I didn't ask who your enclave friends were. Like it would have mattered, anyway."  
  
"It *does* matter now," Rowan said. Something about her calmness was forced. Jade was certain she could detect strain there, and something Rowan hadn't told them. Jade wondered what it could be.  
  
"Blake Redfern is dangerous. You heard what Midian said. He needs to be dealt with, not *dated*!"  
  
Jade's eyes moved over to the new girl Midian, perched nervously on a chair brought in from the dining room. No one had been dead in Briar Creek before *she* had come. "Blake is *her* problem," she said moodily. "Why can't *she* deal with him."  
  
"What's the matter with you?" Mary-Lynette asked, from where she and Ash sat on an ottoman. She seemed surprised at Jade's comment. Everyone else as well for that matter. *Almost* everyone.  
  
"She has a point," Kestrel said, lazily, expecting her nails.  
  
"They're right," Midian said, speaking for herself. "Blake's my problem, he came for me, not you guys. I can handle him." She sounded a lot more confident than she looked. Her features were tight, her eyes slightly too wide, her lips drawn, thumbs twiddling nervously.   
"Oh, please. Can you sound that confident face to face with a man who tortured you and enjoyed making you miserable?2 Ash said harshly, glaring at her.   
  
Midian opened her mouth, then shut it again. She sighed. "I'm trying to save less argument."  
  
"He's been killing innocent people for no apparent reason," Mark spoke up. "I say he's everyone's problem - and needs to be put out of commission. How do you kill your kind of vampire?"  
  
"Wood or fire," Jade said, eyeing him doubtfully. "But you can't do it."  
  
Mark was insulted. "Why not?"  
  
"Because you're not trained, and Blake would squash you flat before you knew what hit you," Ash said dryly.  
  
"We need some sort of plan," Mary-Lynnette said, snuggling closer to Ash.  
  
"Well, Kestrel could pretend to want to go out with Blake again, bring him somewhere private and stake him," Midian suggested.  
  
Kestrel looked up, smiling a little. "That sounds like fun."  
  
"And dangerous," Jade pointed out. If Kestrel figured out what they were up to he could turn the stake on her. She looked towards Rowan for a sane plan.  
  
But Rowan was almost smiling. "I think we should bring Blake back here and punish him for what he's done."  
  
Midian brightened at that plan. "Torture him? Yeah, let's do that one."  
  
Jade winced at the thought. They were supposed to be the good guys, and in her opinion, the good guys didn't torture people.  
  
"Let's stick with the Kestrel-stake plan," Ash said. "No torture."  
  
"Spoil sport," Rowan muttered.  
  
//What's gotten into you?// Jade asked her sister privately.  
  
//It's nothing to concern you, I'm fine// Rowan answered. Jade was surprisingly hurt when she felt mental blocks shut her out of Rowan's mind. It was the first time in months Rowan hadn't yelled about using their powers.  
  
"I didn't get chance to get a number or anything," Kestrel pointed out.   
  
Midian shook her head. "I won't matter. Did you get a sense he was - well - undressing you with his eyes?"  
  
Kestrel snorted. "I get that a lot." She paused. "He did seem quite - intense."   
  
  
"Then he's decided he wants you. He'll show up again, that's fro certain."  
  
Jade wasn't particularly pleased with the plan. It was way too risky, but she couldn't think of an easier answer. For the time being, she resigned to keeping her mouth shut.  
  
* * * 


	10. Part 10

Part 10  
  
Midian would have liked the opportunity to take out Blake herself, now feeling confident enough to actually face him. She refused to give into that irritating little tremor of fear whenever his name was mentioned.   
  
She'd suffered more than anyone at his hands and deserved her shot at revenge. It seemed unfair that Kestrel, who wanted to *date* him, was the one who got to stake him. It seemed ridiculous.  
  
She had been surprised Rowan had tried to imply to torture Blake, it was a shame no one else had wanted to go ahead with that plan, even more surprising Ash had been the one to veto it. Rowan had always struck her as the type of likeable person everyone loved. The type of people she was usually terribly jealous of, having never found the courage to try and be like that. She still couldn't get over the change in Ash's attitude, either.  
  
She collapsed on the bed and started to flip through the TV channels. She tried to think if there was anyone else in the enclave who had been a victim of Blake's cruelty. She had been his favourite, but she was pretty certain there were others.  
  
She was just getting into a murder mystery movie on Bravo when there was an irritating knocking on the door. She wasn't in the mood for talking to people at the moment. With a sigh of impatience, she answered anyway, surprised to see Rowan there. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I think it's completely unfair that Kestrel gets the fun of killing Blake, so I have a new plan." She came inside, closing the door behind her.  
  
Midian had to admit, she was kind of intrigued. Maybe Rowan wasn't as nice as everyone seemed to think she was. She turned off the TV. "What kind of plan?"  
  
Rowan paced around the small room. "Got any booze?"  
  
Midian blinked. "Huh?"  
  
"Alcohol. It's a human thing that's supposed to - "  
  
"Make you drunk?" Midian smiled. "I know what alcohol is." She took a bottle of Scotch out the cupboard along with two glasses.   
  
"You see people on the TV drinking when they're plotting like this, I guess I want to see what it's like." Rowan made a face as she took a swig of the dark amber liquid.  
  
  
Midian was guessing Rowan had never been drunk before. ^Oh God^ she thought. "So what's your plan?" she asked again.   
  
Rowan smiled a little, just the corner of her lip lifting cruelly. "Do you remember a girl called Alana Blackthorn?"  
  
Midian vaguely recalled. There had been a lot of fuss about her in the enclave, supposedly she was the daughter of a rich and powerful vampire lord, there to choose a husband. "I remember, why?" She leaned against the kitchen counter, curious to where Rowan was going with this.  
  
"She's the only girl Blake has never been able to seduce," Rowan said gleefully. "I heard him complaining about it to Ash once. She wouldn't choose him."  
  
Midian found herself smiling. Blake must have just *hated* that. Girls normally melted at his feet. She had never known one who hadn't before. "Again, I ask, why?"  
  
"I tracked her down, she's going to come and help us capture him." Rowan was on her fourth glass of Scotch, dancing around Midian's apartment. She misplaced her feet and lurched forward. Midian caught her before she hit the floor. "I think that's enough Scotch. This is being drunk."   
  
Rowan giggled. "Everything's sparkly and - fun. I like it." She smiled crookedly, arms wrapping around Midian's shoulders for support. "Alana's going to seduce him and take him somewhere we can give him a taste of his own medicine." Rowan moved away from Midian, sitting on the end of the bed. "That's going to be *really* run." Rowan fell backwards, and ten minutes later Midian heard her snoring.  
  
As drunk as Rowan had been (after four shots) Midian had to admit she liked the sound of Rowan's plan. She wondered how Rowan had managed to *find* Alana was a little confusing, but it was going to be interesting to see if this actually worked.  
  
* * * 


	11. Part 11

Part 11  
  
After several hours of debating, Blake had finally come up with a plan. It wasn't exactly a new one, he'd done it dozens of times before in the enclave, and it was always fun.  
  
The problem was, he needed an attractive vampire that could pull of seduction like second nature, and a powerful witch. It was something he and Ash had often done, but now Ash was unavailable. Witches had been easy to get in the enclave, but how the hell did you find those things in the middle of nowhere?  
  
He'd taken a trip into the nearest city, a two-hour drive away from Briar Creek. After making a few calls, he had finally managed to at least find one volunteer, whom he had been told would bring the other component of the plan.  
  
She'd given him the location of a Black Iris to meet in. Unfortunately for him, it was poetry night. Blake had been sat in the dimly lit club for nearly an hour now, and was almost itching to kill the werewolf who had the floor, blathering on about mistreatment and broken hearts.  
  
"Blake Redfern?"  
  
He looked up at the girl ahead of him. Tall and thin, skin a pasty white, stretched thin lips curved in an odd smile. She was sloppily dressed in an oversize pink t-shirt and blue jeans. Blake stared at her in disbelief. *This* was the powerful witch he had been sent? "Yeah, Juliet Weald?"  
  
The girl nodded and sat down. "Tell me again."  
  
Blake hoped her magic was up to the standard he liked, her appearance certainly wasn't. He would never have given this - this *loser* a second glance if she hadn't been suggested to him by a contact over the phone. He explained his plan, while she just listened and nodded.   
  
"All right, I can do what you're asking for," she said, brushing a few strands of mousey brown hair out her eyes,   
  
"Good. Why the hell did you take so long?" he demanded. A round of applause indicated that the werewolf had finally finished. "On *poetry* night."  
  
"My reasons," she said with a faint smile. "I had to see if you were genuine."  
  
^Why?^ he thought. ^Most of the people who meet you switch off at first sight?^ He eyed her again.  
  
"Hence the way you're looking at me," she said. "Why I work through an contact as well. I could be different if I wanted to, but it's easier to do my kind of work if you can be easily forgotten."  
  
Blake wondered what 'her kind of work' was. "You said you might have a friend who can play the vampire part."  
  
Juliet nodded. "Here he comes now."   
  
  
Blake looked around, hearing a table of girls behind him whispering and sighing dreamily as a boy came down the stairs. The type of guy that usually made Blake kill him out of sheer jealously. Perfectly gorgeous, eyes to drown in, a smile to knock you over, perfect dark hair, perfect dress sense.  
  
Blake looked at Juliet, who was smiling her odd smile. "You did ask for a vampire to whom seduction was second nature," she pointed out with a shrug.   
  
Blake sighed, almost wanting to kick himself. No - he wanted to kick Midian. If the little bitch hadn't run away from him, then there would be no need for any of this. But she needed to be taught a lesson, and this would do that,  
  
"What's the deal here?" the perfect vampire asked.  
  
"Blake Redfern meet Aether Tevistha."   
  
What the hell kind of name was that? Blake was beginning to wish he'd chosen a different contact. He was stuck with these two, so he might as well make some use of them. As long as they could pull off what he wanted them to do.  
  
"Same as she should have told you." He looked over at Juliet. "You did tell him?"  
  
Juliet nodded and held out a hand. Blake sighed again and tossed them each a wad of bills. "Now let's get on with it."  
  
* * * 


	12. Part 12

Part 12  
  
"Something weird is happening to Rowan," Jade insisted. "You guys can't tell me I'm the only one who's noticed."  
  
Mary-Lynnette didn't say anything. Rowan's behaviour was definitely changing. Jade was right. Rowan's usual careful and calm big sister attitude had disappeared. She was vague and said things that didn't make a lot of sense, and not only that, she snapped and bitched unexpectedly.   
  
"She's almost scary," Mark added.  
  
They were sitting in their usual spot in the Burdock farmhouse living room the next day, trying to figure out what to do. They were no further than they had been the other day. Midian hadn't been at home when Kestrel had called, and Blake didn't seem to be around. Now Rowan was missing too.  
  
"This town's so tiny, I can't belie e we can't *find* her," Kestrel snorted, flipping through a TV Guide magazine.  
  
"Actually, does anyone else think Rowan's new attitude is kind of fun?" Ash said from his seat beside Mary-Lynnette, hi arm casually draped over Mary-Lynnette's shoulders. Without Rowan around, his feet were resting carelessly on the coffee table.   
  
Jade just stared at him disgust. "You're unbelievable."  
  
"I never disagreed with him," Kestrel put in unhelpfully.  
  
Mary-Lynnette felt uncomfortable. She was the only one Rowan had trusted enough to tell her secret to. It was probably the memories and plus the reappearance of Blake and the confrontation last night that were making her act strangely.   
  
As much as she wanted to yell at the others for their reactions to this, she couldn't betray Rowan's confidence.   
  
"You know something," Ash said, looking her directly in the eyes.  
  
"I'm sworn to secrecy," she said with a sigh.   
  
"You know what's up with Rowan? How come she told you and not her own sisters?" Jade asked indignantly, her emerald eyes flashing.   
  
Even Kestrel seemed mildly annoyed as she put her magazine down and was eyeing Mary-Lynnette furiously. Mary-Lynnette flushed. "I don't know, but she did," she said, sitting up defensively.   
  
"Don't encourage her," Ash muttered with a lazy smile, removing his feet from the coffee table.   
  
Mary-Lynnette glared, but was stopped from saying something by the sound of shriek outside the front door.   
  
"We really need to get that hole fixed," Mark said as he and Jade stood up to go answer the door.  
  
"Why?" Kestrel followed. "We always know when someone new arrives."  
  
"Easy for you to say!" Ash snorted.  
  
Jade opened the front door. The girl who stood there was pulling her ankle out of the hole in the front porch, her face obscured by a cascade of blood red hair. She looked up, eyeing the group at the door.   
  
Mary-Lynnette peered over Ash's shoulder to get a better look. She'd never seen such smooth, flawless skin, almost marble like in its fineness. Her eyes were a clear, bright blue, her lips large and sensual, enhanced with a dusky rose lipstick. Her figure was slender and delicate, with a tiny waistline, completed with legs that went on for miles. She was dressed in a white top, short blue skit, and clearly expensive high heeled shoes.   
  
Mary-Lynnette's grip on Ash's arm tightened as she heard him draw a breath. Mark had a dreamy look too. Though he tried to change his expression when Jade elbowed him.   
  
"Can we help you?" Kestrel's voice was curt, not exactly welcoming.   
  
"I am Alana Blackthorn," the girl announced. "I am here to see Rowan Redfern."  
  
"You're kidding," Ash was still staring at her. "Rowan's not here at the moment."  
  
"Then I shall wait until she arrives." And without being invited, Alana Blackthorn walked straight into the house and sat down in an armchair in the living room, crossing her perfect legs at the knees.  
  
^Who the hell is this girl?^ Mary-Lynnette thought as the group traipsed in behind her.   
  
"You, bring me a cup of hot tea," she ordered Mark.  
  
"Um, okay," Mark hurried off to the kitchen.  
  
"It is extremely rude of Rowan to make an appointment, and then not bother to turn up." Alana's blue eyes moved around, scowling, looking for someone to blame.  
  
"Rowan never told us you were coming," Kestrel said, folding her arms.  
  
"You want cream and sugar?" Mark's voice called from the kitchen.  
  
"Cream," Alana told him. Then turned back to Kestrel. "Why did she not tell you? Who are you? And why are there vermin in your house?"  
  
Mary-Lynette was fighting not to punch this girl. She had the grace and beauty of a princess, but the attitude of a spoilt brat.   
  
"That's Jade, Ash, I'm Kestrel. That's Mary-Lynnette and Mark," Kestrel pointed to each as Mark came back with Alana's tea. She took the cup without even thanking him. Mark shrugged and moved closer to Jade.  
  
"That is forbidden," Alana was staring at the two of them, eyes narrowed at their closeness.  
  
"We're *Daybreakers*," Jade said firmly. "And it *is* allowed."  
  
"Ugh," Alana snorted in disgust. "Then you will all go away until Rowan comes back and explains why she is wasting my time."  
  
"Gladly," Mary-Lynnette muttered, dragging Ash back onto the front porch. "Who the hell is that bitch?"  
  
The rest had followed as well. Ash was smiling sheepishly. "She came to the enclave looking for a husband. Her father is some rich, snotty vampire lord."  
  
"That explains a lot," Mark muttered. "What's she doing with Rowan?"  
  
Ash shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to wait for Rowan to come home and tell us."  
  
* * * 


	13. Part 13

Part 13  
  
"I don't understand why we agreed to do this," Aether complained after Blake had finally left. Juliet shrugged, taking a sip of her cocktail. She and Aether had stayed at the Black Iris after the poetry slam, when it had gone back to being a dance club.  
  
Now she could throw off her geeky witch image. Generally, no one seemed to pay any attention to yet another pretty blonde witch. It was nothing these days, and lost witches were appearing as if they were going out of style. So the ordinary girl thing seemed to work better for her, she got more work if she wasn't making a big deal about who she was.  
  
"I was told it would be an interesting proposition," she said, smiling dryly, straightening the skirt of her crimson cocktail dress. An outfit she happened to love so much more than jeans and t-shirts.   
  
She actually felt sorry for the poor girl, Midian, who was going to be the basis for this insane plan. There was nothing Juliet could think of as worse than having an insane vampire obsessed with you. She certainly wouldn't want anyone like Blake Redfern having an obsession with her.  
  
"Again, I ask why? It's dull." Aether's eyes were moving over the rippling bodies on the dance floor. "I have lots of other things I could be doing, you know."  
  
Juliet sighed. "We got paid only half of what he promised me on the phone. You need to get on with your part. Seducing some enclave girl trying to live in the real world, how hard can that be?"  
  
"But what if I get really close to her and she really *does* turn out to be my soulmate?" Aether made a face of disgust.   
  
Juliet snorted. "Yeah, right. What are the chances of that happening?"  
  
She snickered at the thought of Aether with a real soulmate. He was with a different thing every time she saw him socially. A big stress on some*thing*. He was probably the weirdest person she'd ever met with the most bizarre - tastes. He wasn't just a brainless pretty vampire.   
  
"That seems to happen a *lot*," he complained. "I don't *want* a soulmate."  
  
Juliet chuckled. "Just go and get it over with, who the hell would want to be your soulmate, you freak?"  
  
That actually made him laugh. He kissed the top of her head. "If I don't die of boredom in this Briar Creek place, I'll call you."  
  
Juliet smiled and watched him go. The whole thing was too obvious to actually happen. Finding her drink she left herself, needing to get working on her own part of the deal.   
  
* * *  
  
Midian had never really taken shopping before not understand the point of it. That, Rowan had insisted, was something they needed to see about, as she didn't either. So Rowan had dragged her out to the nearest city that day for a little experiment.  
  
They'd hit all the expensive boutiques, and the trip had result in fun with vampire mind wiping and a whole new wardrobe. She was definitely starting to like Rowan more.  
  
Midian was in a good mood for the first time since she had arrived in Briar Creek. Only to have that interrupted by an annoying hammering on the door the minute she took her shoes off.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
Mary-Lynnette and Kestrel barged in without being invited, much to Midian's indignation. "Where's Rowan?" Kestrel demanded, her gold eyes flashing dangerously.   
  
Midian shrugged. "We went into the city, then came back, and she said she was going home."  
  
"*That's* where you've been all day? How'd you get there? Rowan can't drive." Mary-Lynnette peered into a few of the classy bags on Midian's bed. "How did you *pay* for all this?"  
  
Midian shrugged. "I'm not penniless," she said defensively. They didn't need to know she hadn't actually paid a single penny for anything, or her little mind games with Rowan. That was kind of weird, considering Rowan had mentioned at one point where she'd had this silly little rule that when she and her sisters first came to live here, they weren't to use their Powers unless it was an emergency. Midian hardly thought that a little shopping experiment could be considered emergency. "What's the big deal, anyway?"  
  
"We've got a complete snotty bitch of a vampire at our house calling herself Alana Blackthorn, who insists on a meeting with Rowan," Kestrel didn't sound pleased. "And ever since *you* and your friend Blake showed up Rowan went insane."  
  
Midian frowned. Alana was the girl Rowan had insisted could help them dispose of Blake. But Rowan hadn't exactly been too clear, considering she had been drunk. "What's that got to do with me? I came here to get away from Blake, I never expected he'd followed me. I don't know *why* Rowan's behaving the way she is, or what Blake did to her to make her act that way since he showed up."  
  
"But who is this Alana bitch?" Mary-Lynnette asked. "She's as annoying as hell. I thought Ash was bad, but he's sugary sweet compared to her, and that really is saying something."  
  
Midian couldn't really comment as to her Ash was always going to be the obnoxious bastard who had been Blake's party-all-hours cruel best friend. As for Alana...Why did everyone expect her to have all the answers all of a sudden, anyway? None of this was fair.  
  
She had just wanted to escape her past, instead, it had come back and was kicking her ass. And it wasn't even like she deserved any of it.   
  
"Alana was going to help us do something about Blake, but Rowan was drunk, so I'm not really sure what she had in mind."  
  
Kestrel laughed, her mood brightening. "Rowan, drunk? And I missed it?"  
  
Before anyone else could say anything, Jade appeared in the door, a dreamy look on her face. Mary-Lynnette sighed heavily. "Now what's happened?"  
  
"Well Rowan finally came home and is talking to that Alana girl, and I just met the most gorgeous guy you've ever seen. Don't tell Mark I said that, okay?" Jade smiled sheepishly. "This guy was just really hot. Aether Something Unpronounceable."   
  
Midian frowned, that name sent shivers down her spine, though she was positive she'd never heard of it before.   
  
"Who?" Kestrel sounded mildly interested.   
  
"I think we'd better get back to the house," Mary-Lynnette said with a sigh. Midian put her shoes back on and made to follow then, then changed her mind.   
  
Something was telling her she had to find this Aether person. She'd never be satisfied. And the weird thing was - that an absolute need to find some guy she'd never met before, *didn't* seem all that weird after all.  
  
* * * 


	14. Part 14

Part 14  
  
Rowan ignored the glares as she made her way back to the house not really understanding what everyone's problem was. Or the looks she got when her family saw her new wardrobe.  
  
So she let loose once in a while, since when was that the end of the world. Alana was waiting as promised, not looking too pleased. "The next time you want to see me, I expect you to keep your appointment. You left me with *Day*breakers and *vermin*."  
  
"They're okay," Rowan said dismissively, dropping the shopping bags on the floor beside the chair she sat down in. "Besides, I was shopping."  
  
Alana looked down at the bags. "You *paid* for all this?"  
  
Rowan snorted. "Not exactly."  
  
Alana even smiled. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Where the hell did Rowan get the money for all those new clothes?" Jade asked, surprise evident in her voice.   
  
Kestrel was trying hard not to grin. "I'm not sure *money* was what she used." She didn't sound like she disapproved.   
  
Jade shook her head, aghast. "I don't believe this. All that lecturing she gave us about not using our Powers, and not feeding on humans, she goes for a *shopping* spree with mind control and Midian?"  
  
Jade had *known* there was something creepy about Midian from the start, the minute she had freaked out over Ash. Everyone had bought her little sob story.  
  
Jade as beginning to think that this was some sort of game she and Blake were playing, to make Rowan insane. But *why* would anyone want to do that?  
  
"This whole thing is starting to drive me nuts," she complained. "I just don't get any of it."  
  
"I don't think anyone does," Ash had finally reappeared. He had been absent without leave that afternoon as well.  
  
"So where did you go?" Kestrel asked, folding her arms.   
  
They were on the porch outside the farm house, as Rowan was inside talking to Alana, and wouldn't let any of them until she was finished. Tired of Alana's bitchiness and attitude, Mark had made an excuse and gone home.  
  
"I had to see some Daybreak people," Ash said blandly. "What's happening now?"  
  
"Rowan's talking to Alana," Jade said. "Where's Midian?"  
  
Mary-Lynnette glanced down the road they had just come down. "I thought she was with us."  
  
Jade shook her head. "She was right behind us, but I didn't see her get in the car."  
  
Ash shrugged. "So she didn't come, it's no big deal."  
  
"You said something about some gorgeous guy showing up," Kestrel said to Jade.   
  
Jade's smile turned dreamy. "Aether. Yeah, I was going into the general store and he was there." She sighed. "Your basic super-sexy vampire."  
  
Ash was frowning. "Aether Tevistha?"  
  
Jade nodded. "His last name was something weird sounding. You know him?"  
  
"Know of him. The guy's supposed to be a freak. What's he doing here?"  
  
Jade shrugged. "Didn't ask. He didn't say."  
  
"Is this Aether person a bad guy?" Mary-Lynnette asked.  
  
Ash shrugged. "What am I, the answer man?"  
  
Jade's eyes rolled as she glanced back at the house. "What's going *on* in there?"  
* * *  
  
"So we're agreed?" Rowan hadn't really been sure how Alana would react to her plan. Alana had actually managed to surprise her with a few added details of her own.  
  
"Yes, I think we can work together on this." Alana was smiling. Strangely enough, she managed to look a very odd mixture of angelic and insidious at the same time. Rowan hadn't been aware that was possible.   
  
"And we'll have to let Midian in as well. I'm sure she'd enjoy this as much as us."  
  
Alana stood up, nodding. "I remember her. Girl needs a bit of backbone, and she'll be fine."  
  
Rowan stood up as well, walking Alana to the front door. "Where will you be if I need to get hold of you?"  
  
Alana glanced at the house. "Around. I'm not staying in this dump. Call me telepathically if you need me." And she sauntered away.  
  
Rowan smirked gleefully. "So?" Jade and the others came from around the corner.  
  
"So what?" Rowan turned and went back into the house.  
* * *  
"Well, thank God she's gone," Mary-Lynnette said with as sigh of relief.  
  
"And Rowan's still acting weird and not telling us - what are you smirking at?" Jade noticed Ash had an odd expression on his face as he watched Alana leave.  
  
He smiled strangely. "There's an old Klingon proverb," Ash began.  
  
Jade was confused. "What's a Klingon?"   
  
"The bad guys on *Star* *Trek*," Mary-Lynnette said, "though I'm very curious to know what Klingons have to do with any of this."  
  
Ash gave her one of his best predatory smiles. "That revenge, is a dish best served cold."  
  
* * * 


	15. Part 15

Part 15  
  
Midian couldn't understand what was wrong with her, why she was so - so what? She couldn't even put it in words. Strange didn't even begin to describe it. She paused outside the General Store, trying to get her bearings.  
  
She was looking for something. Someone. Aether. She wouldn't be satisfied until she found him. Why, she had absolutely no idea. She was absolutely certain she needed him. She didn't even know his last name.  
  
She was utterly obsessed with this guy because Jade happened to mention he was cute? At first when she'd set out to find him it hadn't seemed all that weird, it had been perfectly normal. Now she was starting to think twice.  
  
Attractive guys got her into trouble, look at what happened with Blake and Ash. There didn't seem to be anyone called Aether around. It was getting extremely frustrating.   
  
"Are you okay, you don't look very well."   
  
The voice was a girl's voice, but not one Midian recognised. The girl was tall with blonde hair and what could be brown eyes. Maybe she was Kestrel. The again, she sounded like she might actually care if Midian wasn't feeling well. Kestrel would probably just knock her out the way.  
  
"I'm looking for Aether. I have to find Aether."  
  
"I don't know anyone called Aether, sorry. Are you guys new in town?"  
  
"Yeah, it's very important that I find him. Who - who are you?"  
  
The girl might be smiling. "Oh, I'm Penny, I'll be a senior when school starts. You?"  
  
Midian tried to remember what she'd be. She hadn't thought about school, or if she had then she'd forgotten. That was wrong, wasn't it? Oh, she was so confused! ^What's *happening* to me?^ she thought.  
  
"Are you sure you don't need a doctor?" Penny asked doubtfully.  
  
Midian shook her head. "No doctors. Can - can you take me to the Burdock farm house?"  
  
Penny nodded. "Sure." And helped her to a car.  
  
The breeze blowing on her face from an open window made her feel slightly better. The only thing that would make the pain stop completely was Aether.  
  
She could make out a house and figures. Her vision was going sparkly She heard voices, running feet, someone was carrying her. No one was listening to her cries as she pleaded for Aether.  
  
What was wrong with everyone? Couldn't they understand she needed him? The sparkles were fading to black.   
  
* * *  
  
"What's *wrong* with her?" Mark asked.  
  
They had put Midian in the bedroom that used to be Mrs. Burdock's It appeared that she had now passed out. She had been blathering on about needing someone called Aether, who no one but Jade had had an encounter with.  
  
Mary-Lynnette shook her head, feeling Midian's forehead. "She's not burning up or cold or Anything. This is weird."  
  
Jade was downstairs talking to Penny, the girl who had brought Midian in. Rowan was in the lounge watching TV, baring some resemblance to her old self. Ash was talking to Circle Daybreak on the phone, trying to find out about Aether.   
  
"It seems like an obsession curse," Penny said as she and Jade came into the room.  
  
"Penny's a Daybreak witch," Jade said gleefully.  
  
"What's an obsession curse?" Mary-Lynnette asked.  
  
"A very powerful spell, and, incidentally, a Forbidden one," Penny replied.   
  
Mary-Lynnette sighed. ^Great^ she thought. ^If things aren't already screwed up enough we now have a witch on our hands who can do forbidden spells and a guy, mot likely a vampire, no one has ever seen.^  
  
It made sense to her that Aether would be a vampire, she just thought so. With all these people showing up she had barely been able to spend five minutes with Ash. She really wanted to talk about their relationship and she hadn't managed to. He'd be disappearing again before she knew it, and they'd be no better off than when he'd left a year ago.  
  
It had been so hard, all she had been able to think about, dream about was their reunion., which had been spoiled by Midian's fear of him.  
  
Then Blake, and Rowan's fear of him, then Alana the bitch, and now this.  
  
^Why couldn't these people think of somewhere else to go?^ she thought moodily.  
  
Briar Creek was supposed to be a hole-in-the-wall place with no Night People, that was why Rowan and her sisters had come here in the first place. How had all these people managed to find the place, anyway?  
  
"Who around here would have that type of power?" Mark said, peering out the window into the back yard.  
  
Penny shrugged. "It doesn't necessarily have to be someone in this area. I'd have to be a Circle Midnight witch one not opposed to taking risks."  
  
"Yeah, and that really narrows it down," Ash snorted, appearing in the doorway.  
  
"Did you find anything useful?" Mary-Lynnette asked.   
  
"Whose proverbs have we got now, Shania Twains'?" Mark snickered.   
  
"Who?" Ash looked at him blankly.   
  
"Forget it," Mark grumbled.  
  
Mary-Lynnette smiled faintly.   
  
"Aether Tevistha is a standard pretty-boy vampire, a Night World agent who's tastes run to the - extreme." Ash's smile was strange.  
  
"How do you know about his tastes?" Jade asked, eyeing him dubiously.  
  
"I've heard things friends of mine have said," Ash answered blandly.   
  
Mary-Lynette decided not to follow this line of questions. "Give us something good."  
  
"He was last seen in a Black Iris in a city not too far from here, with our friend Blake Redfern, and a Circle Midnight witch, Juliet Weald."  
  
"This is all a little too nice and neat," Jade said, glancing at the bed where Midian was still unconscious. "So Blake finds these people, what does he want with them, why would he make Midian obsess about another guy when he's the one obsessed with her? He wants her to kill the guy, or kill him then herself, then what?"  
  
"It doesn't sound nice and neat," Penny snorted. "It sounds really screwed up, and we need a plan to break this curse."  
  
Mary-Lynnette found herself agreeing with Penny on this one. They needed a plan to deal with everyone, and preferably all at once. As disaster prone as that probably was, it was the only way she could think of to deal with everyone and get rid of them. Not to mention they had to find out what Rowan and Alana were up to. Then something else occurred to her. "Where the hell is Kestrel?" she asked.  
  
* * * 


	16. Part 16

Part 16  
  
Kestrel had tired of the conversation back at the house. She was sick of hearing about Rowan's slipping sanity, Alana Blackthorn and whatever else she had to do with Rowan and Midian. She'd slipped out of the house when there had been a commotion out front. She didn't think anyone had seen her.  
  
She loved her sisters more than anything, but right now, they were both driving her up the wall.  
  
She wandered around the small town wishing there was something to *do* here. The languid lifestyle of the place had been grating on her a lot lately. She had been more than a little intrigued when Blake had sown up. He was someone *new*, someone exciting.  
  
So Midian had told some pretty horrific things about him. So what? People said the same things about Ash, and he'd out all right, eventually.   
  
But a part of her didn't want a guy that was just *all* *right*. She wanted a guy with *power*, she wanted someone with danger, someone open to pretty much anything.  
  
But since Rowan had spoilt her date with Blake, she hadn't seen him around. The only interesting thing around here, and he'd gone.  
  
Kestrel sighed with annoyance, and sat down on the steps of City Hall, not knowing what to do with herself. Rowan had been talking about waiting another *year* in this dump for Jade to finish high school so they could all go to college together.  
  
She'd go stir crazy if she had to hang around here for another year. Her eyes followed a couple of boys she recognised from the high school coming out of the General Store.  
  
Their necks looked a lot more appetising than she'd recognised. She had to admit, if only to herself, she missed the taste of human blood.  
  
She'd never forgotten that incident with Todd Akers and Vic Kimble when they'd first come to Briar Creek. As annoying as they had been thinking they could get away with hurting them, that moment when they'd fought *back* and taken active human blood had been exiting. She'd almost *enjoyed* it.  
  
Hunting animals only was getting kind of dull. There were just the same ones all the time.   
  
"I've seen corpses more lively."  
  
Kestrel looked up, finding herself smiling as Blake reappeared in a soft-topped silver Mercedes. "Try living here. Makes dead things look positively joyful." Her smile was unpleasant.  
  
"I'm heading into the city." He pushed open the passenger door. "Want to come along?"  
  
Kestrel stood up. She found she couldn't wait to see the looks of disapproval on the faces on her friends.   
  
"I've been looking *everywhere* for you."  
  
Kestrel's smile turned into a scowl as Alana Blackthorn came swooping in out of nowhere, getting in Blake's car. She was exquisitely dressed in a pale green suit and a designer low cut white blouse.  
  
Blake was watching her with a sickening, almost dreamy expression. Kestrel wasn't about to let this bitch spoil her fun. She got in the backseat. "*We're* going to town. Who the hell invited you?"  
  
"Deal with it," Alana said dismissively.   
  
"Haven't you ever heard the expression the more the merrier?!" Blake put the car in gear and drove off.  
  
"Depends on the company," Kestrel answered.  
  
//Play along and we'll give this bastard what he deserves//.  
  
Kestrel was completely caught off guard by Alana's mental voice. //What'd you mean?// It felt startlingly good to be able to use her powers again. Maybe Alana wasn't as bad as she seemed.  
  
//Wait and see//  
  
Then again, maybe she was, Kestrel thought dryly. But she was more than willing to go along for the ride.  
  
* * * 


	17. Part 17

Part 17  
  
Kestrel wasn't in the farm house, no one had seen her leave, no one had any idea where she was. "She could have gone hunting," Jade offered. "She's always hungry these days."  
  
Mary-Lynnette had noticed that as well. Kestrel had never been an angel, that was no secret. She was loyal to her sisters, but that didn't mean she was nice. She teased the humans at the school, drove the boys nuts over her. She never acted on any of the promises she made, and it drove them wild with desire for her.   
  
Apparently it was a trick she'd learned from one of her witch cousins. Mary-Lynnette didn't find it amusing, herself. "Can you call her telepathically to find out where she is?" She guessed they could look in town, but there weren't all that many places she could think where Kestrel would go.   
  
And they had Midian to watch as well. She was still unconscious, but could come round at any minute. Ash had gone to look for Aether, if the guy really was around and get some answers from him. Penny was upstairs with Midian. Rowan was still watching the TV, seeming oblivious to what was going on around her. She, Mark and Jade sat in the kitchen trying to figure out what had happened to Kestrel.   
  
"I've been trying but she's been ignoring me," Jade answered, leaning back in her chair.  
  
"That's because she's gone to the city with Alana and Blake," Rowan told them, sitting down and smiling.  
  
"*What*? How'd you know?" Jade didn't bother hiding her alarm. "And why aren't you yelling at us for using our powers, anyway?"  
  
Rowan shrugged. "Who was I trying to kid? We need them, and anyway, Alana told me."  
  
"The creepy girl who's a bitch?" Mark asked. "What's her deal, anyway?"  
  
Mary-Lynnette nodded. "Can we really trust her?"  
  
"Yes, she and Kestrel are going to start our revenge plan."  
  
"Revenge plan?" Jade asked doubtfully.   
  
"On *Blake* of course. He's an arrogant snob who takes pleasure in hurting people. He should be given a taste of his own medicine." Rowan's smile was strange. Mary-Lynnette agreed that Blake should suffer for what he had done to Midian and Rowan, and to who knew how many others? From her understanding, revenge plans had a nasty habit of going wrong. They didn't know if Alana or Kestrel could even handle Blake. The phone on the kitchen wall was ringing. Rowan went to answer. "Oh *good*." She seemed very pleased with herself as she stood there, listening into the hand piece. "That's even *better* than I expected. I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up, grinning.   
  
"Do we really want to know?" Mark muttered.  
  
"I need a lift," Rowan said, turning a pleading look on Mary-Lynnette.  
  
Mary-Lynnette knew she'd probably regret what she was about to do, but it was the only way she could think of to find out what Rowan was up to, and maybe to her. "Sure."  
  
"Great," Rowan said. "Just give me a few minutes." She headed upstairs.  
  
"Are you *nuts*?" Jade hissed, grabbing her arm.  
  
"Maybe, but we need to know," Mary-Lynnette answered, shaking Jade off. "Call Circle Daybreak and Ash, then follow us."  
  
"With what? We don't have a car, and I only *just* passed Driver's Ed," Jade protested.  
  
"Penny came with a car, maybe you can borrow that, or maybe Midian has one you can use."  
  
Mary-Lynnette left the kitchen, forcing herself to smile politely as she and Rowan headed out to her jeep. "So, where are we going?"  
  
"A house just outside the city," Rowan answered giving her the directions.   
  
"What's there?" she asked glancing at Rowan.  
  
"A nasty surprise for Blake."  
  
* * * 


	18. Author's note

I need some help in finishing this story. I'm much more interested in this one, but I'm not sure where to go with it from the last few chapters. If anyone's got any suggestions on where I could go and how to end it, I'd really appreciate some help. 


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